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The glory of the LORD ["Cavod YHVH"] went up from the cherub, and stood over the
threshold of the house [Temple]; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court
was full of the brightness of the LORD'S glory ["Cavod YHVH"].

However, God was making preparations to REMOVE the "Shekinah" from the Temple and
then from the very city itself:

And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight; when
they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the
EAST GATE of the LORD'S house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them
above. -- Ezekiel 10:19.

Then, in Ezekiel 11:23, we read of the actual DEPARTURE of God's "Shekinah" from the
MOUNT OF OLIVES --

And the glory of the LORD ["Cavod YHVH"] went up from the midst of the city, and
stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city [Mount of Olives].

From the Mount of Olives the "Shekinah" departed from this earth to later return to the
Temple that was rebuilt under Zerubbabel, but before the arrival of Ezra and Nehemiah. The
"Shekinah" remained in the Temple from this time through the enlarging of the Temple complex by
Herod, and his subsequent improvements. This is borne out by a little known but awe-inspiring in-
cident that occurred when Herod tried to tap into the tremendous wealth of King David's tomb in
order to finance his grandiose plans to rebuild the Temple.

Writes Gary Arvidson: "So, how was Herod able to finance this and other projects? To-
ward the beginning of his great work 'all their sacred treasures were exhausted.' We are told in this
same context that people around the world sent an abundance of money for the Temple project. But
there were other funds to be raised. And Herod found ANOTHER SOURCE!" (In Search of King
David's Tomb, part 1, p. 27).

Arvidson goes on to say: "What we are going to find is that Herod tapped David's sepul-
chre as a major resource for his great works...and as a consequence gained access to David's sep-
ulchre to finance and decorate his empire. What had been amassed for the First Temple and laid
aside by Solomon, was finally used for the Second Temple period" (ibid.).

The first-century A.D. Jewish historian and priest Josephus, records that "at this time he
[Herod] opened the sepulchre by night, and went into it, and endeavoured that it should not be
known in the city, but took only his faithful friends with him" (Antiquities 14.7.1).

Then begins the most unusual account of all. Herod was determined to explore the multi-
room structure of David's tomb to the limits. Suddenly, a great miracle occurred --

However, he [Herod] had a great desire to make a more diligent search, and to go further
in, even as far as the very bodies of David and Solomon; WHERE TWO OF HIS
GUARDS WERE SLAIN BY A FLAME that burst out upon those that went in, as the re-

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